Tomb Raider: Everything's Changed
by KadeSmash85
Summary: After surviving the horrors Yamatai, Lara is suffering from PTSD and Sam is on the brink of falling apart. Can they cope with normal life again? What will they do now that everything has changed? Can they keep each other grounded long enough to heal from the trauma they've suffered? (Sam/Lara pairing later in story, RR! :o)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I've written a few fanfics before, most of them are Mass Effect related these days. But after playing the newest Tomb Raider (like a handful of times) game I felt compelled to write something for it. I can't promise a lot of updates, as I'm a full time college student and may need to take a job on the side soon. **

**Some information on this story idea of mine: I have put a lot of research into some of this stuff. I may still make some inaccuracies so I apologize ahead of time and if anyone has correct information on the things I get wrong please do not hesitate to let me know and I will go back and try to fix it. **

**This may take some time for me to write out to the fullest. Like I said I have school and the possibility of a job to contend with and I may need to do more research for what I wish to write. **

**Anyways I will try to update regularly, hopefully you guys will enjoy this. I have no idea what direction to take this, but I figure it'll get somewhere eventually. Hopefully anyways. **

**This takes place right after the game, so let's get started lol.**

* * *

Chapter One

Sam felt herself being nudged from her sleep. She slowly blinked her eyes open, finding Jonah kneeled in front of her with an almost regretful look. She reached up rubbing at her eyes slowly, feeling like she just didn't have enough sleep. Yamatai had been a more than exhausting experience. She looked next to her at Lara, who also appeared to have simply fallen asleep. Sam had been leaning against her, having been sitting next to her on the floor of their boat.

"Sorry to wake you so soon, but there's a cargo ship approaching." Jonah said apologetically. Sam simply nodded as she stretched her tired limbs out and yawned heavily as Jonah scooted over a bit to wake Lara.

Sam rubbed at her eyes as she heard Jonah try to coax Lara awake. But as the seconds ticked by with no response from Lara her stomach tightened in an unsettling manner as she looked over to her side. Lara was limp, eyes still closed, as Jonah tried to shake her awake. "Lara?" He tried more loudly, the concern clear in his voice.

Sam panicked as she suddenly turned herself to face Lara. She couldn't be sure by all the grime and dried blood covering Lara's clothes and form but the young archeologist looked pale. "Lara?" Sam tried, the fear evident in her own voice as Jonah looked over his shoulder at Reyes. Reyes looked on with just as much uncertainty. "Oh my god, Lara, don't do this to me!" Sam practically shrieked as she herself tried to shake the younger woman awake.

Still there was no response. Lara was slumped over where she sat, and Sam quickly brought a hand the girl's forehead. "She's burning up!" Sam said panicked, trying to shake her awake again. Jonah stood, looking over to the approaching cargo ship, silently willing for it to move faster. He judged that it would be another ten minutes at most before they ran alongside the cargo vessel.

Sam was still trying to wake Lara when Jonah looked back down. Reyes was trying to keep their PT boat on course with the cargo ship. Her expression was unreadable and she didn't say a word. Jonah didn't know what was going through her mind in that moment but he knew Sam was in a panic for Lara. He gently grabbed Sam, pulling her away from the prone woman.

Sam tried to pull away from the bigger man but he held fast pulling her into a tight hug. She gripped his arms, her eyes never pulling away from Lara, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "What's wrong with her?" She questioned quietly.

Jonah shrugged gently. "I don't know, but we'll get her help, I promise." He said as gently as possible. He wasn't sure what was wrong with Lara but he assumed she might have an infection. From all her cuts, scrapes and gashes he wouldn't have been too surprised. Especially with that hole in her side. How she managed to go all that time on that island without treatment was beyond him. His little bird was certainly a strong woman, he knew that for a fact.

When the boat finally came alongside the cargo vessel Sam was practically frantic to tell them Lara needed medical attention. They threw down a rope ladder as Jonah scooped Lara up in his massive arms before carefully placing her over his broad shoulder. Sam stood aside so he could climb up first with Lara. Sam watched them closely as Jonah slowly made his way up the ladder, careful to not lose his balance or drop the prone archeologist.

Reyes stepped up next to Sam and she placed her good hand on her shoulder. "I'm scared, Reyes." Sam said meekly, never taking her eyes off Jonah and Lara. She didn't know what she would do without Lara. She was her best friend and after everything that had just happened to them. All the friends they had just lost, everything they just lived through… She didn't know if she could handle losing Lara on top of it.

Reye gave Sam's shoulder a gentle squeeze as they watched Jonah disappear over the edge of the boat. "It'll be ok." Reyes said, letting go for the younger girl's shoulder watching her quickly climb up the ladder after Jonah and Lara.

Sam had never climbed a ladder so fast in her life. She couldn't move fast enough and once she reached the top she spotted Jonah quickly following after a man in large rubber overalls and took off after them, not even waiting for Reyes to catch up. She knew she probably should have waited for the former cop but she was far too concerned about Lara. She needed to make sure Lara would be ok.

Sam ignored the looks she received as she followed Jonah and the other man below decks. She was still in that white ceremonial outfit Mathias had forced her into. She didn't care about that right now, she only cared about Lara. "We don't really have a full medical staff or facility on board, we'll need to get an air lift from Japan if the situation is bad enough." The man in rubber overalls was saying to Jonah as they quickly went down one hall then down another set of metal stairs, Sam hot on their heels.

"Can't you guys do something for her?" Sam asked worriedly as they took a left and half a second later a sharp right into what looked like a small sickbay. There was already an elder man pulling out medical equipment from his small cabinets, Jonah carefully laying Lara out on the hard medical bed.

"I have a limited supplies of antibiotics, some IV drips, and other basic first aid supplies." The elder man said as Sam hovered in the doorway. Jonah stood back as the presumed doctor began listening to Lara's heart and with his stethoscope while he felt about her face with his old leathery looking hands. "Hm… Definitely has a fever, her heartbeat is racing and her breathing sounds short." He muttered to himself more than anyone.

Sam hugged herself tightly unsure of what to say or do as she watched the man begin to hook up an IV. "I don't know what all she might be suffering from but it might be best to get her to a real hospital before long." The elder man said as he hooked Lara to the IV and began to pump her full of clear liquids. Sam felt tears threatening to escape her eyes as she looked on helplessly.

Lara just couldn't die, not like this. Not after all they've been through and all they survived. It wasn't fair. More selfishly yet Sam was angry at the idea of Lara abandoning her now. Not like this. Not when Sam needed Lara the most. "Come with me." The younger man who had led them to the sickbay said as he made his way past Sam and back in the direction they had come from. "We'll radio Japan, see if they can send someone our way, but I can't promise anything." He said as he disappeared around the corner.

Jonah stopped next to Sam who was losing her battle against the threat of tears. Jonah put a strong yet gentle hand on her shoulder. "Sam, we should give the doctor space to do what he has to do…" Jonah tried gently. Sam's brow furrowed just before she reached up to wipe at silent tears that escaped her. She looked up at Jonah, her fears plain as day. He could see it in her eyes, she was afraid of losing Lara.

Sam looked back at Lara who was still lying motionless in the bed as the doctor went about wiping off the dirt, grime and dried blood from her arms and face with a wet cloth. "Ok…" Sam relented as she followed Jonah who followed the other man back up top.

Once they were back up on deck the man in rubber overalls began to lead them towards the bridge which sat above deck as its own level. "The Captain is going to have some questions." He stated as Reyes spotted Jonah and Sam and trotted up to them. He glimpsed over at the woman noticing her injured arm. "I'm sure the old doc can patch that up for you if you want." He said in passing as he began to march up the outer stairs that led to the enclosed bridge above them.

Reyes shrugged her good shoulder once. "I can wait." She commented calmly. He shrugged himself as they approached the open bridge door and stood aside to let them all in first.

The bridge was smaller than it appeared to be on the outside. It was cluttered with all kinds of equipment ranging from ship controls to computers and monitors that observed the different levels and areas of the ship. "Captain, we'll need to radio Japan for air lift for the girl." He said as the older man, who was the apparent captain nodded his head. The man in rubber overalls nodded back and left the three and the captain before walking back down the stairs and out of sight.

The captain walked over to the radio, adjusting the knobs on it. Once he found the appropriate channel he began to request for an emergency medical airlift. "How is Lara doing?" Reyes asked as the captain went about his radio conversation. Sam was once more hugging herself looking out towards the ocean in silence as Jonah shrugged lightly.

"It's hard to say…" was Jonah's only reply.

The captain turned towards the three, finished radioing for a chopper now. "Alright a medical chopper is inbound but it'll be a few hours." He said to the relief of Jonah and Reyes. Sam could only hope Lara had that kind of time. She didn't know how serious her condition was, or how far any infection may have spread. Hell she didn't even know how long they were stuck on Yamatai. All that time there seemed to bleed together as one long never ending nightmare. Only it did end. Or she hoped it was over. Part of her was afraid she'd wake up any moment and was still on that island.

The captain motioned for them to follow him, a younger man taking his place on the bridge as they all exited the cluttered room. "I have questions, but for now let's get you all cleaned up, changed into some new clothes and fed." He said as he led them all back below deck. The deck directly below the top of the ship seemed to be residential for the crew and he showed them to some empty quarters at the very back. "Sorry it isn't exactly luxurious, but the beds aren't bad and the showers have stalls." He informed them. "Once you're all finished the mess is two decks down, you can't miss it." he continued.

"Where can we get some clean clothes?" Reyes asked as she inspected one of the two rooms offered. They weren't much different from the rooms they had on the Endurance. It struck a chord with Reyes but she didn't really show it on her face. She, like the others, was just too tired.

The Captain motioned to the lockers that were leaning against the walls. "You'll find some spare clothes in there. Now, I'll leave you all to it. If you need anything my name is Jack Fletcher, or you can ask one of my crew." He said before giving the three a silent nod and turning on his heel and disappearing back down the hall.

"Come on Sam." Reyes then said as she led the silent Asian into one of the two rooms and towards one of the lockers. "You need to at least get into something warmer than that… thing." Reyes continued as she gave Sam a once over. Sam frowned as she had almost forgotten what she was dressed in. She looked down at herself and the now dirtied white sleeveless robes. She reached for the bracelets on her wrists yanking them off quickly and tossing them onto one of the two bunks.

"I could seriously use a hot shower right now." Sam commented as Reyes cracked the smallest of smiles at the girl. It was nice for a distraction from what they had just dealt with, even if it was a temporary one.

Jonah smiled from the doorway. "Alright, I'll see you girls downstairs." Jonah said before disappearing into his own room. Reyes and Sam both waved at him before he vanished. Reyes opened the locker grabbing a couple of oversized t-shirts and two pairs of pants. She passed the change of clothes to Sam who eyed them almost sorely.

"They may not be pretty but it's got to be better than that." Reyes commented waving her hand over Sam's current outfit. Sam rolled her eyes and scoffed slightly, but accepted the change of clothes.

"At least this is kind of cute." Sam said with a slight humorous tone before wandering down to the showers. Reyes shook her head but smiled a bit to herself. Yes a distraction was direly needed, even though they all knew they were forcing themselves to put on a smile at this point.

* * *

After she had her shower and changed into the clothes provided by the captain Sam did not go to the mess hall like Jonah and Reyes did. Despite having gone days with so little to eat Sam was simply not hungry. Instead she chose to spend the time waiting for the chopper at Lara's bedside in the sickbay. The elderly doctor, who introduced himself as Johnson, allowed her to be there. It meant the world to Sam that she was allowed to sit by Lara's bed.

Lara was still unconscious, and now that some of the muck was cleaned from her face it was easy to tell she was pale. Johnson had already flooded Lara's system with antibiotics while trying to hydrate her with a bag of fluid that slowly made its way into Lara's veins. Sam lightly held onto Lara's hand with both of hers feeling just how hot the other's skin was. "Best I can figure," Johnson said as he took note on everything he was able to do for Lara for the medics to take note when they arrived. "Your friend is suffering from sceptic shock." He continued.

Sam looked up to him with tired eyes, worry causing her brows to furrow. "She may have other infections but I couldn't say without proper blood work." He went on. Sam squeezed at Lara's hand as she looked back at the vulnerable woman. Sam honestly didn't know much when it came to these sorts of things but she was pretty sure sceptic shock was life threatening.

Johnson put down his pen and looked over to Sam. "If they get here soon she will be just fine." He tried to assure her with a kind smile. Sam wasn't sure if he was just trying to be nice or if he was being honest at this point. She only nodded at him as she tried to return his kind smile despite the situation. On any other occasion Sam might regard him better but she just didn't have it in her right now.

But before anything more could be said between the two of them a CB radio crackled to life. "Oye, Johnson. Better prep the girl. The rescue chopper is almost here." Some woman said over the radio. Johnson stood from his stool as he moved over to Lara's bed.

"Would you go get your friend, that big fella. We'll need to carry her up top." He said gently as he began to unhook the IV bag from its stand. Sam nodded quickly and shot to her feet rushing out the door and down the flight of steps on the other end of the hall.

It didn't take long before the chopper had arrived. They landed on deck of the ship and rushed out to greet Jonah who cradled Lara in his arms. They quickly secured her onto a stretcher. They were shouting over the loud sound of the helicopter, one man holding up the IV bag, the other taking the notes from old Johnson on what he had done for Lara so far as they loaded her into the chopper.

Sam wasn't about to be left behind either. "I'm coming with you!" She shouted over the loud roar of the engine as she let herself into the helicopter. She wasn't about to take no for an answer. The medical team shared a look amongst each other as Sam seated herself in one of the chairs already buckling herself in. There was no time to argue so they simply allowed it.

"We'll meet you at the hospital as soon as we can!" Reyes called out to Sam who nodded in return.

As the helicopter took off they hooked Lara up to a portable heart monitor and changed her IV bag which was just about empty anyways and began another triage of medication and began to work on redressing wounds with fresh bandages.

Sam watched with growing concerns as the medics looked and sounded frantic and it didn't take long before it got bad. Real bad. "She's going into cardiac arrest!" one medic shouted as another pulled out a defibrillator. Lara's heart monitor suddenly flat lined and with it Sam could feel her own chest tighten and heart threaten to stop.

"Lara!" She cried out as she suddenly unhooked her safety harness. She didn't know what she thought she was going to do and when one medic tried to keep her at bay another began to use the defibrillator on Lara. With each jolt Lara made it killed Sam a little on the inside. She couldn't even hold it back as she broke down into violent sobs, the tears like a waterfall on her cheeks.

After what felt like an eternity Lara's heart monitor began to beep again and Sam couldn't help but clutch onto the woman who was trying to keep her in her seat. It wasn't fair. Lara couldn't leave her, she just couldn't. She was Sam's best friend, the one person in the world Sam could tell everything to, and Lara had risked everything to save them on all on Yamatai. She didn't deserve this, and Sam certainly felt she deserved to not be abandoned.

The rest of the long helicopter ride was very similar. Lara had gone into cardiac arrest one other time when they were getting closer to the hospital. They were radioing ahead about needing emergency surgery for Lara. Sam was so on edge she felt like she was about to have an anxiety attack. Or if not then a complete mental breakdown.

The very millisecond the chopper landed on the roof of a Tokyo hospital they were carting Lara off on the stretcher, Sam chasing behind. They had to practically hold her down to keep her from following them into emergency surgery. At one point they actually threatened to sedate the young Asian but she promised to keep out of the way if they didn't. She was no good to anyone if she was knocked out. She was sure someone would need a medical history or have questions about Lara or something.

In the end they did, and that kept Sam sane for a little while. She filled out paper work, answered questions to the best of her knowledge on Lara, and even kept calm long enough to call her father on his personal cellphone to inform him where she was and a short brief recap of what had happened and what was happening now. She made sure to tell him she needed a new debit card for her bank account so she could cover any medical needs for Lara as well being everything she had either sank with the Endurance or was left behind on that god forsaken island.

Shockingly enough her father had said he would come to the hospital personally. Her history with her parents wasn't exactly smooth so when he said he would be their first thing in the morning it took her off guard. But now she was being tended to by doctors of her own. She was just beyond exhausted and wanted nothing more to sleep, even though her mind was in a constant state of worry, hoping beyond hope that Lara would be alright.

God what she would give for one of Jonah's bear hugs right now. But they were still back on the ship that rescued them. She was alone in a hospital with doctors poking her with needles and setting her up on her own IV to rehydrate her system. In the end it didn't take long before she just passed out from exhaustion in her hospital room. Perhaps it was for the best.

* * *

**Ok so that's where I will leave this with for right now. Let me all know if it's a decent enough start. I have a fair idea of how to start this whole thing for the first few chapters at least…. But I still need to work out the plot, so updates might take a while and I apologize ahead of time. **

**Anyways, if anyone also has suggestions for what they'd like to see be sure to leave that in the comments, or give me a message. I'll see you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sam didn't even realize she had fallen asleep. When she woke she felt like she had been ran over by a dozen semi-trucks. That was probably putting it mildly. She opened heavy eyelids and examined her surroundings the best she could without actually moving. She felt that if she tried to move she would just come apart at the seams. It took her a moment to remember where she was. First thing she noticed was the steady beeping of a heart monitor to one side and then she felt the needle in her left arm and followed the clear tubing up to an IV drip.

In an instant she sat straight up in her bed, panic over taking her. Lara, where was Lara? "Please, you need to take it slower!" A woman protested in Japanese Sam looked over to see a nurse messing with something close to the heart monitor. She didn't care to heed her advice however as she threw off the itchy blanket that had been given her sometime while she slept.

"Where's Lara?" Sam questioned impatiently nearly ripping off all the wires that were attached to her as she tried to get out of the bed. The nurse rushed over and gently pushed Sam back into her bed, which wasn't very difficult given the state the young woman was in. She was too sore to really put up a fight and felt herself being coaxed to lie back down into her bed as the nurse went about fixing any wires that had come loose or tangled in her movement.

The nurse tsked to herself after having straightened everything out again. "Your friend is in recovery." She said as if it weren't anything to be too concerned with. But for Sam she felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders and heart. If she was in recovery that must have meant she was going to be ok, right?

"Is she ok? Can I see her?" Sam asked as she tried to at least sit up in the bed. The nurse gave Sam a frown. Sam wasn't a very patient person, nor did she like to just sit around. Sam also really felt she had to be closer Lara. She didn't understand it. She and Lara were always close but right now it was a sort of clingy feeling that overcame Sam. She just HAD to be around the young British woman. Sam just had to make sure she was still there, and still breathing.

The nurse gave up on trying to get Sam to lay down and the frustration showed on her face. "Not right now, Miss Croft needs her rest." The woman said, her voice sounding just as frustrated. Sam's lips pursed as her brows furrowed. She hated it when she was told no on a normal day, but this was like telling her she couldn't breathe.

But just before Sam could protest further there was a knock on her open door. Both Sam and the nurse looked up to see an elder Japanese man with neatly kept white hair and mustache standing there. He was wearing a white coat typical of doctors around the globe and in his hands were charts and he held a warm smile on his face. "Ah, Miss Nishimura, you're awake." He said sounding rather cheery. He looked to be maybe in his late fifties or early sixties as he stepped into the room, relieving the nurse from whatever she was doing now.

Sam just folded her arms over her chest and watched the elder man. He pulled up a chair next to Sam's bed and looked over whatever paperwork he was holding before he sat down. "Well you're in pretty decent shape. Some malnourishment, some scrapes and bruising… We're going to put you on some antibiotics just to be safe but I'd safe you don't even need to be here if you don't want to be." He said with a firm nod.

He put his charts and papers aside as he grabbed his stethoscope that hung around his neck and began listening to Sam's chest as she gave a frustrated sigh. She was never a fan of doctors. "But what about Lara, is she ok?" She questioned sounding more and more impatient. Ok she could totally get not being able to see the British girl but someone could at least tell her Lara was on the mend or something. Anything was better than not knowing what was going on.

The doctor quickly took note of something on one of the papers that was now on the bedside table. "Does Miss Croft have any family or other emergency contacts?" He questioned avoiding Sam's question. She scoffed her annoyance growing more apparent on her face.

"No… Her parents died when she was little and the only other…" Sam trailed off before looking down into her lap. The only other person Lara really considered family was Roth and he was gone now too. "The only other person that could be considered her family died after our ship was wrecked…" Sam finished but more quietly. All the faces from the Endurance… Steph, Grim, Roth, Alex flashed into her mind. They had lost so much because of that damned island. So much lost and nothing to show for it really. Or at least nothing that was worth the hell they lived. Not to Sam.

The doctor nodded his head quietly, giving a look that seemed to regard Sam and what he might say next. "So is it fair to say you're the next closest thing?" he questioned, trying to sound gentle. Sam's lips formed a line, brows furrowing once more. She nodded a bit at the doctor. Lara didn't really have anyone else aside from Sam, Reyes and Jonah. She was always a bit of loner during their college years and if she had any other relatives she never mentioned them.

He nodded back. "Well she's in recovery." He started as he gathered his file again. "She has yet to wake up, her injuries were severe." He went on. Sam looked up to the elderly man, all ears now, temporarily forgetting about Yamatai and its nightmares. "She has some cracked ribs, one of them is broken," his eyes skimmed his sheet, "She nearly ruptured her pancreas, has one gunshot wound, has several lacerations that needed stitching, and we have her on a heavy regiment of antibiotics to combat her infections, which are numerous." He said with a heavy sigh. Sam's eyes were wide at the list he was reading off. "To be honest it's surprising your friend is alive right now." He finished looking back to Sam finally.

Sam didn't even know what to say. What could she say? Lara had been through so much on Yamatai trying to get them all home. "She'll get better though, right?" Sam asked meekly. The doctor smiled at her, which made her release a breath of relief. Doctors don't smile if the news is bad, or they normally don't, right?

"She's stable and healing. It will take some time, but I suspect she will be just fine." He said as he stood up and put his seat back where he found it. Sam felt like the world had been lifted from her shoulders hearing those words. She didn't have to be afraid of losing Lara now. Though she had still come close… Too close. So close Sam had to question what she would do without Lara. She was the truest friend Sam ever really had.

The doctor patted Sam gently on her shoulder and smiled at her once more. "If you wish to be released just let one of my nurses know." He said. He tucked his file under one arm as he checked over her IV once more. "Otherwise try to get some rest." He then added before he turned and left the room, closing the door behind himself.

Sam sighed as she glimpsed over at a digital clock that was mounted on the wall on the other end of the room. Rest, right… It was close to noon as it were and she began to wonder where her father was. They had arrived at the hospital late the night before, he should have been here by now. Or maybe he was held up with the doctors or nurses or whoever. Even though Sam was never really close to her parents she sort of wanted to be comforted by her father at the very least. It was only natural, right?

* * *

It was nearly three in the afternoon when she heard a knock at her hospital room door. Sam turned just in time to see it slowly open and reveal her father on the other side, clad in one of his expensive business suites with a long deep red stylish scarf hanging from each shoulder and down his front. It was as long as his torso and he was a bit taller than Sam. "Daddy!" She called out, more excited to see him than she thought she would have been. Maybe it was the fact that once you live through something like Yamatai you never know what's really precious in life.

She was normally more composed around the professional TV guru, but right now she needed her father, not the business man. He didn't even have half a second to react before his daughter threw herself onto him, arms tightly clinging around him as she buried her head into his shoulder. It was kind of an awkward moment as they were not a very… touchy family so when he slowly encircled her into an awkward hug it was more than what Sam could have asked for in the moment. Especially since her father's maternal instinct was next to zero.

"I assume you are alright?" He finally questioned in his deep voice as he pulled away from the girl. She nodded up at him as he afforded her the smallest of smiles. "Good. Now I have brought you some extra clothing and your new debit card." He said as he turned and reached around the corner outside the door and brought in a small suitcase.

Sam could have melted at the idea of getting back into some normal clothes. Right now she was wearing some extra scrubs a nurse had offered her in place of the overly large shirt and pants she had originally arrived in. "Oh my god, you are so my hero right now." Sam stated as he handed her the suitcase. She quickly dumped it onto her bed opening it up and seeing what was inside. For a moment she was able to forget everything that had happened as she rummaged through the different choices of clothing her father had brought for her. Perhaps it was a bit shallow but stylish clothing always made her feel better in her darker hours. It was true now more than ever.

Mr. Nishimura cleared his throat to regain her attention, however. "Now I have some questions, like what happened out there." He said sounding more serious. Sam could have shrank as she dreaded the idea of explaining the situation to anyone so soon. She was surprised none of the doctors had questioned her just yet on how Lara ended up in the shape she was in, and how she herself wasn't exactly up to specs.

So Sam sat onto her bed and started from the beginning, explaining how Lara had figured out Yamatai was in the Dragon's Triangle, at how the Endurance was shipwrecked by a storm. It was harder to tell him everything after that. It took a good while before she could get everything she felt was relevant out there. How they lost people to the Solarii, how Mathias tried to sacrifice her to Himiko, the Sun Queen… How Lara had saved everyone there, especially Sam.

Trying to explain the more supernatural type stuff was probably the most difficult. Who would believe them? That some ancient soul was trying to take over Sam's body, how storms were the cause for all the shipwrecks and plane crashes and how no one was able to leave the island until Lara had destroyed Himiko's former human vessel, which is what allowed them to get off the island in the end.

The whole while her father just sat and listened. Sam tried to read his face as she told him the events that happened, trying to see how he might be feeling or how he might react. Especially to the stuff any normal person would consider absolutely insane. But he was a CEO corporate figure. He had mastered the poker face and she couldn't even begin to assume what might be going through his head.

After she had finished telling him all that she could the room was filled with silence. Sam continued to watch her father as he seemed to be mulling over everything he had just heard. "I will have to thank Lara for saving my daughter." He finally spoke up. It wasn't exactly what Sam had expected him to say but it made her smile anyways. It was nice to hear that before anything else. Like that he actually considered her safety important.

He straightened himself a moment before he pulled back the sleeve covering his left arm and checking an expensive looking watch on his wrist. "Try not to tell anyone else about this." He then said. That actually made Sam frown pretty fast. Was he about to report her to a psychiatric ward? She might have done the same actually. That was if she hadn't lived through Yamatai herself. She wasn't entirely sure she wasn't crazy to be honest. "At least not just yet." He then added, which made Sam roll her eyes some. Great now she was paranoid for thinking her father was going to through her into some looney ben. He probably just wanted to organize it all before airing it on his network as his own exclusive.

"In the meantime go get changed. We can catch the next flight home." He said as he turned as if ready to leave the room to allow Sam a moment to do as he wanted. She blinked as she shot up from her bed, almost regretting the sudden motion. Every muscle in her body ached still, like she had just been put through the most grueling of marathons. That wasn't really too far from the truth.

"No, I have to stay here!" She protested before he managed to leave the room. He stopped and turned to face her. She put on the most determined look she could muster. "I'm not leaving Lara behind. Besides Reyes and Jonah should be here in a few days, they'll want to see me." Sam continued, less frantically than her initial protest.

Her father sighed heavily. "I will book us a room then." He said before turning and leaving before Sam had said anything further. That was actually easier than she had expected. She figured he would put up more of a fight, use his business as an excuse to leave as soon as they could. Or at the very least he would leave her behind and go back to Kyoto where his main home was. Maybe he really did care after all.

* * *

A few days had passed. Sam spent most of her time at the hospital, with Lara. Jonah and Reyes had finally arrived earlier in the morning too. They were able to quickly say hello and check in on Sam and Lara before they were carted off to be checked out for their own injuries. But Lara remained unconscious. The doctors all assured Sam that it wasn't unnatural. She suffered a lot of injuries and was battling against infections as well. Sleep was the best thing for Lara.

But it didn't stop the young Asian woman from worrying with every passing hour that Lara didn't open her eyes. Sam wondered if Lara would ever wake up if she had to be honest. But as it were Sam had fallen asleep. Her head rested on her arms as she was slumped over Lara's bed. It was probably 7 in the evening and she had spent most of the day in the hospital. Reyes and Jonah were also in the room, each of them quiet and watching the TV that was in there at a low volume to not wake Sam.

But as time passed Lara began to stir in her sleep for the first time since she had passed out on their little boat after they had gotten away from Yamatai. At first no one noticed until she let out a low groan her arm slowly moving up before her hand practically flopped onto her face. Jonah shot up from his seat as Reyes got up next to him, her arm in a sling from her gunshot injury. "I'll go get a doctor!" Jonah exclaimed with a sense of excitement at seeing Lara finally moving.

He rushed out of the room, and for being a bigger man he could sure move quickly. "What…. Where am I?" Lara asked, her voice cracking with how dry her throat felt. That caused Sam to stir in her own sleep as she slowly sat up, rubbing at her tired eyes. She then looked over to Lara who was trying to sit up.

"Oh my god, Lara!" Sam cried out with mixed emotion as she practically threw herself onto the younger archeologist. Her arms quickly latched around Lara's neck who cringed noticeably from the pressure. Sam wasn't exactly heavy, but with all of her injuries it didn't take much to make her feel pain.

"Ow, ow, not so hard…" Lara protested as Reyes wandered up to the bedside with a lopsided grin. Sam couldn't help but let out an emotional half cry half laugh as she only hugged the woman tighter.

Finally, with Lara awake, the world just felt right again. Or at least for the moment. Sam knew that it wasn't going to be smooth sailing, but for right now she would take any bit of happiness she could find. Especially since Lara was in one piece and finally awake.

* * *

**Alrighty, Gonna leave the chapter right here. I want to thank everyone who's commented and followed me so far. Don't worry this isn't over yet, I'll have more soon hopefully. I have this week off from school so hopefully I'll have another chapter up fairly soon! Sorry that it's a little shorter than the first chapter also. Hopefully I'll have more to work with in the next :P  
**

**Until next time. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok this one might jump off into like a "SOMETIME LATER LIKE… A MONTH OR SO MAYBE KKTHXBAI" somewhere in the middle. If so it's probably cause I hate dealing with slow recovery times lawl. Anyways, onto the next!**

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Chapter Three

After the doctors had all come in to do their examination of Lara and asked her all the questions they could think of about her medical history, just to be sure Sam didn't get anything wrong, and decided Lara was alright to have so many visitors all at once they left the room. Sam had barely moved from Lara's side, and Lara somehow felt grateful for that. She felt a bit overwhelmed by all the doctors and all the excitement about how grave her injuries were and why she needed surgery and what kind of medications she was on and so forth.

Lara felt like she was being rude in a way. Rude because she just wanted to tell everyone else to get out, she just never felt so exhausted, amazingly sore and short tempered in her life. Put more simply she just felt overwhelmed by everything. But with Sam at her side she felt like she was able to bare it. At least for the time being. So she bit her tongue and kept a smile on her face. She also didn't want to chase off Jonah and Reyes when they were still here for her sake. What kind of friend would she be if she shooed them away?

"You had us worried, Little Bird." Jonah said as he gave her a gentle hug. She smiled at him despite just how overwhelmed she felt. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her senses were overly aware of her surroundings. She knew there was no reason to be so anxious, yet she couldn't help but be wound so tightly. Like danger was lurking just around the corner. She knew that was looney within itself but after everything she had just survived through… Could anyone really blame her?

"Thank you, Jonah." Lara said as she returned the hug best she could. With her ribs feeling so sore it was much of a hug. She just didn't have much energy to be moving in general for even the simplest of things. He smiled brightly at her.

Lara looked to Reyes and carefully considered what she would say to the woman. After Roth… Well after he was gone Reyes didn't exactly hold the fondest of feelings for Lara. The young British woman didn't exactly blame her either. If it wasn't for her… Well none of this would be happening. They wouldn't have lost so many friends, family… loved ones. "Did you get hold of your daughter?" She questioned Reyes after an awkward silence that had filled the room.

Reyes did smile slightly. Perhaps she was grateful that Lara had considered her in such a way, it was hard to say. "Yes, thanks. I'll be going home in the morning." Reyes answered and Lara smiled in return. Lara was always the type to consider others before herself, even now. Even after the hell she had to have dealt with. Sam couldn't help but admire that in silence about Lara as she watched the two other women. "I would stick around longer, but I really need to get back to her." Reyes then added.

Lara nodded in turn. "I understand." She replied.

The room fell silent once more. Sam looked to Jonah. "What are you planning to do?" she asked him to break the silence. No one else seemed to know what more to say. What was there to say? Jonah gave a look of thought though at Sam's question.

"I dunno… Go back home to New Zealand, see my sister." He said with a slight shrug. Sam nodded at that and then looked down at her lap. Lara looked off to one end of the room as well while Reyes and Jonah also seemed to lose themselves in thought. It felt a bit surreal, being here in some hospital, away from the Solarii… Away from Yamatai. Like Yamatai had lasted them a life time and then some and being somewhere more normal was just… really strange and awkward.

Reyes was the first to speak up after a few minutes of solid silence, "I should get going, let you guys get some rest…" She said as she adjusted her arm that was in a sling.

Jonah spoke up as well, "Yeah, it's kind of late and it's… Well it's just been a long one." He said with a heavy sigh.

Lara's brows furrowed as she frowned. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not very good company." She said quietly. Sam reached up and patted Lara's arm gently, trying to give her a silent reassurance.

"I don't think any of us are." Reyes admitted with a sad smile. Lara sighed as she just nodded in silence.

Jonah patted both Sam and Lara on the shoulder and gave them both light hugs. "You two take care of each other." He said warmly. "I'll come by for a visit tomorrow." He added and then walked out of the hospital room.

"I'll email you both when I get home." Reyes said as she waved with her good hand and followed Jonah, closing the door behind her.

Sam and Lara shared a look with each other before looking away. The silence was just so damned awkward. "I bet you're tired…" Sam then spoke up, fidgeting in her seat.

Lara shrugged. "I've been sleeping for what, four days?" Lara questioned as light heartedly as she could. "That's probably the longest I've slept consecutively since I was sick during our early Uni days." Lara then said with a slight chuckle to herself. Sam smiled at that though.

"Even then you were refusing to get the sleep you needed." Sam said as she recalled that one week in particular. "I mean you were running the worst fever ever, and you were just like, 'I have an exam!' and kept trying to get out of bed." Sam nudged Lara lightly with a smirk. Lara just let out a slight laugh. The funny part was it was true. Lara was so deep into her studies she felt so guilty for just laying around in bed, even though she couldn't do much else at the time.

"I swear to god I will tranquilize you if you try that this time." Sam then threatened playfully. Lara just shook her head as she slowly leaned back into her bed which was tilted upwards slightly so she was sitting up a little bit at least. It wasn't the most comfortable of beds but it was definitely better than sleeping on the cold wet ground of Yamatai. That thought alone made Lara frown deeply.

Sam frowned some as well as she glimpsed at the clock on the wall. Visiting hours were long since over but the nurses had given up fighting with Sam on leaving when she was supposed to. "I guess I should get back to the hotel… Dad is probably wondering why he stuck around when I've been here most of the time…" Sam said quietly.

Lara looked over to Sam as she started to stand from the chair that had been moved next to Lara's bed. "Wait, don't…" Lara trailed off looking a bit helpless. "Don't leave…" Sam blinked at looked at Lara who looked a bit lost in that moment. It somehow managed to break Sam's heart to see Lara look so vulnerable. Lara was always a strong willed person, never afraid to do the hard stuff and she was always keen on her solitude. But things were different now. Everything seemed to change the moment their ship wrecked on Yamatai.

But Sam gave Lara a smile despite the situation. She really didn't want to leave anyways. She just figured Lara would need her rest. Sam wasn't going to argue if Lara asked her to stay though. "We could always see if the hospital has pay-per-view and find some really cheesy movie to watch." Sam joked as she sat back in her chair. Lara actually smiled at that.

"I really doubt they have pay-per-view, Sam." She replied but took the remote Sam offered.

As Lara began to channel surf they two spoke of better times, trying to keep their minds off of their current predicament. As long as they had each other they were ok with avoiding the inevitable topic that would be Yamatai. Deep down they both knew that one day someone would ask questions and they would have to come clean. But for now it was bliss to just pretend it never happened.

* * *

The hospital had kept Lara longer than she had wanted in the end, even though she was released earlier than she should have been. They had also pressed her to seek psychological help, along with Sam as soon as they returned home. Something Lara wasn't too keen on, but Sam seemed to be considering. At least silently so. She didn't out right refuse it, nor did she have any sort of indication where she wasn't going to. Something to consider, Lara supposed in the end.

Home… That was all Lara really wanted to do at this point though. She judt wanted to go home, and Sam too. They were both itching to be away from Japan in general, but mostly they wanted to put as much distance as they could between them and that living nightmare known as Yamatai. Samantha's father had actually been the one that end up getting Lara released a little earlier than she was supposed to be. Something which she was eternally grateful for. He even booked them the first flight back to London the following day of her release.

He said it was the least he could do for Lara since she had saved his daughter. Lara really didn't need the thanks… She could never leave Sam behind, never. She would have rather died herself than do that. Sam was everything to her. That was truer now more than ever. Sam was not only her best friend, but family. Especially after what they had lived through and Lara was never going to give Sam up. But she didn't say any of that. Lara had wanted to, but she accepted the offerings from Mr. Nishimura anyways. To do otherwise would be considered highly rude.

What they would do after they had gotten home was beyond her though. How could things just go back to normal? Well… Lara hadn't really been planning on staying home. She had yet to really tell Sam but… After Yamatai she had questions and she need answers. Lara just wasn't crazy enough to go rushing back into the thick of things in her current condition. So she had simply planned to burry herself in whatever notes she could dig up from her father's previous research and projects.

She felt guilty not having discussed it with Sam yet. Lara knew Sam wouldn't want anything more to do with thing like Yamatai and to be quite frank Lara didn't want Sam involved in them either. She was not going to risk Sam's life to the unknown. Not if she could help it. Sam had to stay where it was safe… Away from all this supernatural stuff.

"You ok, Sweetie?" Sam asked breaking Lara out of her thoughts. For now they were sitting at the hotel room Mr. Nishimura had been renting this whole time. It wasn't one of those dinky little rooms with just a couple of beds and a small bath either. It was almost like an apartment within itself. There were three bedrooms, each of them complete with their own closets, beds, and writing desk. There was also a huge bathroom with its own bath tub and even a separate stand in shower stall. It came complete with its own sitting room with a kitchenette and huge picture windows.

Lara blinked and looked to Sam who was sitting on the edge of Lara's bed. Lara had sat at the small desk and just spaced out. "I'm fine." She said with a small smile. Really Lara didn't know what to do with herself currently. It was all too much not to mention far too quiet. They couldn't even hear the busy streets of late afternoon Tokyo far beneath them. "I was just daydreaming." Lara added as she lean back in the office chair that came with the desk. Far comfier than the one she owned back home in London. It was genuine leather and quit plush.

Sam nodded as she lied back into the giant cozy bed. "I just can't wait to get home right now… Never thought I'd say I miss the quietness of London." Sam said with a short chuckle. That made Lara smile. Sam was always a bit noisier than the natives of London. Not that some of the natives couldn't be noisy like Sam but the majority? Well Sam usually got weird looks when they were out in public doing this or that. Sam never seemed to mind it though, she was a free spirit and rather outspoken.

Lara, however, was a bit afraid of the quiet currently. She didn't know what to do with it, and it put her on edge. Not that loud noise would have been any better. Lara sighed as she looked down at the wooden writing desk, spotting a few brochures that advertised the Tokyo tourist attractions, fine dining, and even the night life. "I guess I'll have a lot of work to do when we get home, cataloging all of those artifacts I managed to recover from Yamatai…" Lara said to break the short lived silence.

Lara supposed doing that was better than going stir crazy. Sam stared up at the ceiling at the thought. "You know… Dad's gonna want us to do an interview and reveal of Yamatai sooner than later, right…?" Sam questioned quietly. Lara's brows furrowed. She knew all too well. She also knew it was part of the contract deal Mr. Nishimura had with Sam and her for funding the expedition in the first place.

Lara sighed heavily as she got up from her chair and sat onto the bed next to Sam, arms in her own lap as she looked down at her hands. "I miss them, Sam." Lara suddenly stated, her voice heavy with grief. Sam sat up and quietly took Lara's hands in her own, knowing exactly who Lara meant. Roth, Grim, Alex. Especially Roth and Grim. Lara grew up around those two and Roth was pretty much like her father after her real parents went missing and declared dead after so many years.

Lara laced her fingers with Sam's at the American girl leaned against her, head resting on her shoulder. "I know you do, Sweetie." Was all Sam could say. Lara rested her chin atop Sam's head and let out another heavy sigh before the room fell silent again. Nothing else really needed saying at this point. All Sam could do was be there for Lara and all Lara really needed was the silent comfort that Sam was more than willing to provide.

In the end it was really the first time Lara truly realized what she had lost on Yamatai. What they had all lost. But she also knew of the one thing she still had and that was Sam. Sam was now probably the single most precious person in the world for Lara. Knowing that made it even harder knowing that Lara needed answers and contemplated not staying home for very long hurt that much more.

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**Ok so another short chapter, I apologize. This was supposed to be finished and posted last night but some stuff came up… which is partly why this chapter ended up being a bit shorter than I had planned. I do apologize! **

**Thanks once again all all the reviews and followers! :D you guys rock and make my day. **

**Until next time. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yaaay next chapter :o **

**I can't promise it'll be much longer than the previous two I've posted. Oye I feel bad they just keep getting shorter it seems like. But we'll see where this goes yes? **

**Thanks for the continued support! :D You all are the best, seriously. But I must caution, Spring break is about over and I must return to school, so my posts may slow down. Hopefully not by much. BUT onto the next!**

**Edit: Went back and fixed some typos and stuff I painfully missed before uploading... SHAME ON ME D:**

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Chapter Four

Screaming. That was all that filled Lara's senses and it only fueled the adrenaline already pumping through her veins. It also gave her the worse kind of fear she had ever felt. She would have killed everyone in her way to reach the woman behind those screams.

Never had Lara heard Sam scream like that before. Not once. Sam was many things but it took a lot for her to acknowledge she was in any sort of pain. She was a lot like Lara in that sense. Both were stubborn when it came to injuries and neither liked to show it if they were really hurting. But Sam was screaming now. Lara never wanted to hear those screams again. It was obvious there was pain behind those earth shattering sounds coming from her best friend.

The world around her seemed to move in slow motion. Like Lara just could not move fast enough. Between her and Sam was an army of Solarii and Stormguard alike. All of them preventing Lara from reaching the ritual Sam had been forced to partake in. But Lara still tried, despite how heavy her legs felt, despite the obstacles before her and the men all trying to kill her. She would reach Sam, she had to. But before she could the world suddenly went black, as if nothing existed

* * *

Suddenly Lara bolted upright, eyes wide open. She was in the hotel still, middle of the night. She had tucked herself into one corner of the room, not having found any comfort lying in the bed. She felt way too exposed laying in the middle of a big bed that was in the center of an open room. But at least the closet held a spare futon which she gladly unrolled against the tightest corner of the room she could find and had positioned the writing desk a few feet in front of her to obscure herself in case of intruders.

Lara was covered in a cold sweat but the screaming from her dreams had yet to stop ringing in her ears. She could still hear them. She didn't know what to do until she heard Sam scream her name in crystal clarity. Sam was actually screaming, it wasn't just a dream. "Sam!" Lara yelled as she threw herself over the desk and out of her bedroom door and across the hall into Sam's room.

Lara felt the adrenaline surge through her like it was an old friend. At this point it may as well have been, despite how unwanted it was. And the panic that flooded every nerve and sense in Lara's body had tagged along as well. It also distracted her from how sore she really was and that she was still combatting a list of infections from her time on Yamatai. But all of it was forgotten the moment Sam called for Lara. It was set in stone the second Lara found Sam struggling against her duvet as if it were some sort of attacker.

Lara quickly climbed on to the bed, her eyes wide as she watched her best friend writhe in terror as she let out a torrent of sounds and jumbled words that were beyond incoherent. "Sam, it's ok." Lara tried as she reached out gently taking hold of Sam's shoulders. Sam continued to struggle, which worried Lara, but she had to keep trying. "Sam, wake up!" Lara called out as she began to shake Sam from her hellish sleep.

"No!" Sam shrieked as her eyes suddenly snapped open and she was in an upright position quicker than Lara could blink her eyes. Sam was panting heavily, tears threatening to spill from tired eyes as she quickly scanned the room. Her eyes landed on Lara, the woman's face so full of concern. Sam couldn't stop herself if she tried as she lunged out at Lara, arms wrapping themselves tightly around the young archeologist's neck, clinging to her like she was the only thing keeping Sam alive. It didn't take much longer for Sam's body to start racking in heavy sobs.

It absolutely broke Lara's heart. She could feel it in her chest as her heart shattered to pieces as Sam continued to cry against her neck and shoulder. Lara circled her own arms around Sam's back and held her tightly, letting her fingers rub at her back trying to be as soothing as possible. That damned island… Leaving its mark on Sam this way. Lara knew Sam had to deal with some shitty situations herself yet… Lara had hoped beyond hope that her normally cheerfully noisy companion had made it out relatively unscathed. Apparently she hadn't, and this made Lara frown deeply.

Lara kissed the side of Sam's head, ignoring the damp feeling of the other girl's hair. "It's ok, Sam. I'm here, you're going to be alright." Lara whispered in the gentlest tone she could muster. It was difficult to keep her voice steady when she herself felt distraught. How was she supposed to keep Sam safe from something like nightmares?

Sam's hands clutched at the back of Lara's t-shirt as if afraid to let go. The sobs had slowed considerably and Sam sniffled as she pressed her cheek down on Lara's shoulder feeling the powerful need to be as close to Lara as was possible. "Every night…" Sam stated suddenly. Lara's brows furrowed but stayed silent, listening to what Sam wanted to say. "I have these god damn nightmares every night and I wake up fucking terrified." Sam went on, her voice heavily laced with frustration.

If it were possible to do so Lara frowned even further. "Like, I keep having these dreams about that fucked up place." Sam went on, never moving her head from Lara's shoulder. "Mathias taking me away, or the Solarii like…" Sam took a shaky breath. "I mean nothing crazy like being… assaulted happened, Mathias was pretty clear I was to remain 'untouched', but I still have nightmares that it could have happened." Sam said adjusting against Lara, as if trying to get more comfortable.

Lara sighed heavily as she rubbed her hand up along Sam's back and back down it, thinking that maybe it would help be more comforting. Lara didn't even know what she could say really. "I promise you, Sam, I won't let anything like Yamatai happen to you again." Really it was the only thing Lara could think of. Maybe it would be enough? It was hard to tell… Nothing short of time travel could fix what was already done, and even then….

"You almost died on me, Lara." Sam then said after the room had fallen silent. Lara's brows furrowed as she gently pulled back from Sam to look at her with obvious confusion. Sam sighed as she reached for some tissues on the bedside table before wiping at her nose. "After the rescue helicopter came to the ship that found us you died on me. Twice." Sam clarified. She looked down and shrugged a bit. "I thought you were going to just… leave me, after all that shit you were just going to up die and I hated you for it." She said looking angry. Perhaps more with herself? Lara couldn't tell.

Lara reached out and took hold of Sam's hands. "I'm not going to leave you Sam, I promise." Lara really had no idea she was in that bad of shape after Yamatai.

Sam sighed once more and began to lay back down on her bed, tugging Lara with her in a silent plea. They'd shared a bed a number of times during their college days so she figured Lara wouldn't turn her down. Especially since Sam felt like she was such a mess. "I don't want to be alone tonight, please stay with me." Sam finally said verbally. It probably came out more like a plea though.

Lara pulled the duvet back for both Sam and herself as they both lied into the bed. Sam pushed Lara onto her back before cuddling up against her, resting her head on Lara's shoulder, her arm hugging around Lara's middle. Maybe the contact would keep the nightmares away. Sam could only hope.

Lara kissed Sam's forehead once before letting her arm circle around Sam's back. "Try and get some rest, Sam…" Lara said quietly, feeling the other nod against her shoulder. As Sam fell silent and had hopefully fallen back to sleep, Lara couldn't help but stare up at the ceiling wondering if this was what life was going to be like for them from now on. Or if not, than for a long time at least. If Lara had to be honest she too had nightmares… Yet she was completely willing to throw herself back into that situation. Maybe Lara was mad after all… She couldn't say for sure.

* * *

Home. It was kind of an odd concept after what they had been through in the past month or so. Lara and Sam both stood side by side starring at a brown painted metal door now however on a brisk summer morning in London. They had both gotten back the night before but realized they had no way to get into their shared flat. Both women had forgotten about losing their keys on Yamatai up until they had stepped foot off their plane the night before. They had to wait until morning to get a new set. So they ended up staying the night at a hotel once again.

But now they stood outside of their flat awkwardly. Originally they both had looked forward to being home but now that they were here it just felt odd. "It's kind of weird being back here." Lara said absently as she held the freshly made set of keys in one hand. Neither of them seemed to be in any hurry to go inside.

"Kinda feels like it's been years since we were last here." Sam agreed next to Lara.

"Or maybe a whole life time…" Lara added. Sam could only nod in agreement. After Yamatai it did feel like a whole life time passed by. Kind of weird how that worked, Sam thought. How one event could just change your entire life; even if that event was short lived by comparison.

Lara cleared her throat as she gathered herself stepping forward towards the door, grabbing her suitcase. "Well we may as well go in, sitting out here has to look weird to our neighbors." Lara tried to quip and it did make Sam smirk some.

Lara inserted her key, turning the lock and then opening the door without even bothering to pull her keys out. The early morning light filled the flat through the windows of their sitting room so there was really no need to turn on the lights when Lara and Sam both walked inside. They both looked around, seeing all of their stuff in exactly the same place as they left it in their modestly sized home.

With the kind of money Sam had in her bank account their flat really was modest. Sam could have bought them a small house if Lara had allowed it, which she didn't. Well, to be fair, Lara also had a whole estate just ready for her to move into if she decided to. She also had a large sum of money in the bank, but Lara didn't even dare touch so much as one coin of it.

But their flat really was an average sized two bedroom for the average person or persons. Sam had actually grown a bit fond of smaller living areas. It felt more like a home she once said instead of a large house full of crap. It was shocking at the time she said it because Sam was always out buying a bunch of stuff she probably didn't need.

Lara finally grabbed her keys and shut the door as Sam tossed her overly stuffed suitcase onto their recliner chair before she moved over to their stereo system. "I change my mind… It's good to be home." Sam said as she looked over to Lara with a cheeky grin.

Lara laughed some as she sat her luggage down by the door. "Yes well don't get too comfortable… We need to get some groceries if we plan to eat sometime today." Lara commented as she heard Sam turn on the stereo which began to play some American pop music near instantly. Sam then cranked it up to a louder than should be volume.

Lara shook her head as Sam began to dance slightly by the stereo thumbing through her stack of CDs. Well at least one of them could jump back into some sens of normalcy so soon. After the night before last Lara felt Sam deserved to let loose for at least a little while, even if it upset their neighbors in the unit below theirs. If they came to complain Lara would actually be tempted to tell them to sod off just to allow Sam some time to feel like a normal person again.

Lara tossed her keys onto the counter as she walked over to one of the cabinets in their kitchen and pulled out a box of easy make tea before grabbing the kettle on the stove and ran it under the tap to clear it of any dust that gathered during their absence. She then proceeded to fill it with water. Lara then turned on one of the stove's burners and sat the water filled kettle over it to heat the water and went to grab a couple of mugs, looking out to the sitting room where Sam began to dance towards the kitchen. "Tea already?" She called out over the music.

Lara couldn't help but smile at Sam's enthusiasm as the American leaned against the counter that separated their sitting room and kitchen. "Well unless you want to do all of our errands now?" Lara asked with a raised brow. Sam frowned at that idea. "That's what I thought." Lara said with a smug smile, turning to see if there were any sweets that were still any good to go with their tea.

Sadly Lara didn't find any and when she stood back up she watched Sam flip through one of her fashion magazines as she still danced a bit to her loud music. Normally Lara would have told Sam to turn it down and even now she wanted to tell her it was too loud but… Well Lara just didn't have it in her. Sam was actually looking happy with this small smile on her face as she moved a bit to the music while reading through her magazine. How could she just ruin her best friend's moment of peace?

Lara flushed as she realized she was staring a bit too much at Sam and quickly busied herself with pulling out a pad and pen to write down the things they might need from the markets. "Can we get some of those jaffa cakes?" Sam asked without so much as looking up from her magazine. Lara smiled to that.

"Sure." She said as she wrote it down on her list as well. That was about when the tea kettle began to whistle. "I guess we're in for a busy day. We need to go pick up our post, get some groceries and it probably wouldn't hurt to pick up a couple of new phones." Lara sighed as she pulled the kettle off the burner and poured the hot water into the mugs before dropping one tea bag in each of them.

She past Sam her mug who brought it up to her lips and blew on it. "Can't we just get some food and some cheesy movies and be lazy for the rest of the day?" Sam questioned with a slight pout. Lara shook her head with a small smile. Knowing Sam half of the things that needed doing would get put off for the rest of the week if she could get away with it.

But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing either. They were home and they could just take the time to relax. They had nothing of real import to do, especially not on the morning after they got back. Maybe one lazy day couldn't hurt. Lara smiled to herself a she sipped from her tea giving Sam a quick look before wandering over to the stereo to finally turn the volume down. She really could give in to Sam too easily sometimes, Lara thought to herself as she twisted the volume knob down, much to Sam's dismay.

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**Ok so next chapter is probably when I get to work on the real plot of everything… Maybe lol. To be honest I've been pouring over different myths and legends trying to think of something that would be great to work with. I mean a lot of fanfics on here seem to involve Natla and while she's an interestingly creeper of a villain I want to do something different… **

**If any of you got suggestions let me know! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**I have decided to scrap any sort of supernatural plot device for right now. Maybe I'll pick one up in the future but I've felt like actually sitting down and dealing with the emotional and mental trauma of Yamatai more than "Ok well that sucked, onto the next adventure!" I sort of couldn't think of anything else anyways lol.**

**So I have updated the summary and have some plans for the next several chapters :D **

**Onto the next yes?**

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Chapter Five

Readjusting to a normal life was…. Well it was harder than it sounded. The first week home was definitely more difficult than Lara and Sam had both anticipated it would be. Their first night home in particular was a complete disaster. Sometime after they had settled in their separate rooms for bed a storm had woken them both and for the first ten minutes it was as if Hell was unleashed in their flat as Sam had thrown herself into the corner of her room and Lara had gone into survival mode on instinct alone. Lara was like a caged beast pacing about Sam's room, her pace getting fiercer with every clap of thunder.

It ended with them both falling asleep in the corner of Sam's room with Lara seated wedged in the corner Sam had originally tucked herself against and the young Asian sleeping against the archeologist.

In the days that followed Lara tried to busy herself with her recovered artifacts from Yamatai. Mr. Nishimura had arranged for them to be packed and shipped to Cambridge where she was allowed to study and catalog them. Sam had been with Lara through most of that, camera on hand to document her progress and asking different questions about some of the pieces Lara was handling.

It was kind of like falling into their comfort zone with Lara sorting and examining ancient artifacts and Sam with a camera in her hand recording whatever she was allowed to get away with. It had helped to some extent… But it only lasted as long as they worked. When Lara wasn't working with the artifacts she had buried her nose into her books. Sam had spent her time shopping.

When both women needed to get out of the house it was like an adventure on its own. On one occasion a car backfired as it passed by them on the road and it sent both of them into a frenzy. Lara had pushed Sam behind the nearest cover to them while Sam was fueled by absolute terror. To say that trip was cut short was probably an understatement.

On another occasion some poor man ran around a sharp corner and got his nose punched in from startling Lara when he ran into her. Lara was so embarrassed she insisted on escorting the man to the doctors herself. She even paid for his pain medication she had felt so horrified by what she had done, even if it was an accident. What made the accident worse was that she had actually managed to break his nose in one blow.

Lara had pretty much locked herself up in her room after that one. Or if not her room then their flat at least. She hadn't even left to go deal with her artifacts at Cambridge for a couple of days after that.

Sam wasn't fairing much better. She was losing sleep because of the nightmares. The nightmares were probably the worst of her problems. The car backfiring had freaked her out for sure but it was mainly nightmares and lack of sleep. It was wearing her down. By the end of the week she was so tired she did not even want to pretend to be happy, she just wanted to be cranky.

Lara had come out of her room finally though. And when she spotted Sam sitting on the couch watching telly she couldn't help but want to curl up against her. Lara sighed heavily and climbed onto the couch, laying down on her side and rested her head into Sam's lap. Sam blinked her eyes and looked down at Lara. She normally didn't initiate the cuddling, that was usually Sam's thing. But Sam let her hand play at Lara's hair lightly and went back to starring at the box with little interest in the reality show that was playing.

"I just got off the phone with Alex's mum…" Lara finally said with a tired tone. Sam looked down at Lara with a concerned look. "She wants us to be there for his… For his funeral." Lara then added when Sam had said nothing.

Sam gave a sad frown and carefully swept Lara's loose bangs out of her face. "Is that what you want to do, Sweetie?" Sam asked gently. Alex was a friend to both of them and while Sam wanted to pay him her respects she could also understand if Lara didn't want to go. Lara was so sensitive to things like loss. She had lost so many in her life that she tended to bottle up her grief.

Lara shrugged slightly. "I really don't deserve it." Lara stated. Sam's brows furrowed. "I mean I'm the reason—"

"Don't." Sam cut Lara off with a rather firm tone.

Lara blinked and sat up, looking at the other girl. "Sam…"

"No." Sam said just as firmly as before, her face looking just as stern as she sounded. Sam knew Lara was going to openly blame herself for everything that happened on the island. Sam knew Lara better than anyone else. Probably even better than Roth had. Lara was a person of deep feelings, even if she never openly displayed it.

Lara looked away from Sam wanting to tell her that she was at fault for those that died on the island. If she hadn't made the decision to go into the Dragon's Triangle… Or if she had been stronger, or faster… Maybe no one would have died or at the very least not as many. But Sam gave off an aura that brokered no argument.

Sam sighed and pushed Lara's back into the couch by her shoulders before suddenly straddling the archeologist's lap. It was a physical gesture Sam had never done to Lara before. Sam had never really been bold enough. Cuddling, hand holding and getting hugs whenever she could was normally more than she could ask of Lara in the past. Lara was generally not a physical person, Sam seemed to be the only one to get away with it. But these days Sam felt a bit more dependent of Lara than ever before. It was what they had gone through on the island that she needed something she never really had.

Lara's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as she looked up at Sam who cupped Lara's face. "You are not to blame for what happened." Sam said firmly, but her facial expressions had softened. "No one knew what would happen and you did the best you could." She continued on. Lara just looked into Sam's eyes in silence, but listening with everything she had. "If it wasn't for you… We would have never made it home… We would have all died on that fucking island, and no one else fought harder than you." Sam said, her tone going from firm to a gentler take.

Lara finally reached up, letting her hands gently grasp at Sam's forearms as she never released her face, "If I hadn't of pointed us at the Dragon's Triangle none of you would have had to suffer… Alex would still be alive, and Roth and Grim… Everyone would be alive…" Lara said quietly. She just couldn't believe she wasn't at fault, she knew she was. "I put everyone in danger, Sam. I put _you_ in danger." Lara finished.

Sam's brows furrowed but she carefully traced a light pink scare on Lara's cheek. "You didn't do it on purpose and you managed to save some of us. Hell you saved my life twice." Sam replied before she leaned in putting her forehead against Lara's. The contact alone made them both red in the cheeks and Sam let her arms loop loosely around Lara's neck. "Lara, you're the bravest, most stubborn and yet strongest person I know. If it weren't for you all these years I really don't know where I'd be right now, so please don't blame yourself for what happened on Yamatai. You did the best you could and under the circumstances… I don't think anyone else could have gotten us back home." Sam said in just above a whisper.

Lara suddenly found herself having a hard time arguing against Sam's words. Maybe it was just how sincere Sam sounded or maybe it was the proximity. Lara knew that Sam and she had always had a really close friendship but this was probably the most intimate either of them had ever been with each other. In a way it felt like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

It also confused Lara. Confused her because she found herself enjoying the closeness of having Sam on her lap, their foreheads touching, and the feel of Sam's arms hanging around her shoulders. The urge to just pull Sam as close to her as possible.

Sam had felt something similar. Well if she had to be honest with herself she'd been wanting to have this sort of closeness with Lara for a little while now, even before Yamatai. She just never really took the time to fully think about it until afterwards. Like after everything that happened she had realized how short life really was and maybe she should explore the growing feelings she was having about Lara.

Sam licked her lips once while Lara's cheeks flushed once more. Neither of them could really fully explain the situation they had suddenly found themselves in but they weren't exactly doing anything to change it either. In fact Sam was playing with the back of Lara's neck and her rarely loose hair. Lara couldn't be sure if she was imagining it either but it seemed like Sam was inching herself close to Lara's face.

But before anyone could really comprehend what was happening there was a sudden and loud knocking on their door. It was so sudden they both jumped, Sam yanking herself backwards while Lara practically threw herself further into the couch if that were even possible. Sam made an odd sound as she hid her face behind both hands while Lara let out a sheepish chuckle releasing Sam's hips, now wondering when she had even grabbed hold of them.

Sam climbed off of Lara who got up to answer the door. Sam glowered towards the door thinking whoever was behind it was worth the interruption.

Lara however felt a bit of relief. She enjoyed the contact but she wasn't sure what it was she was feeling in the moment. Well she didn't dislike it… Was that a good thing? She had always felt really close to Sam, especially during and after their early Uni days and now? Well Sam was everything to her right now. She was like her rock in a world she no longer understood.

But she could go over what had just happened later. She opened the door to find their post lady outside with a package. Lara thanked her after signing for it and closed the door again wandering to their small circle dining table. Sam had joined Lara after she fished out a butter knife to cut open the heavy duty packing tape that held the large rectangular box closed. "What is it?" Sam asked curiously as she pulled out one of the chairs and sat into it.

Lara pulled the flaps of the box back to reveal another but slightly smaller box inside with the Asus logo. "Ah, it's my replacement laptop. I've been using a loaner from Cambridge since mine was wrecked on the Endurance." Lara said as she went about opening the inner box for the contents within.

Sam watched with mild interest as Lara pulled out the new laptop. "You never did answer me from before." Sam then said.

Lara cocked her head as she looked to Sam questioningly. "Sorry?" She asked having already forgotten the question. Whatever intimacy that had initiated between the two before the post lady had knocked on their door had completely flustered Lara.

Sam grabbed Lara's wrist gently as she pulled out the battery for the laptop. "Do you want to go to Alex's funeral?" Sam asked seriously. "And don't tell me no because you don't deserve to. If you don't want to go because it hurts too much I understand, but don't refuse to go because you're blaming yourself for what happened." Sam added.

Lara stopped what she was doing and sighed heavily, gaining a look of deep thought. "I owe it to him to go… He was our friend after all… And he gave me a chance to get off the Endurance before she sank..." Lara said after a long minute of silence. The saddened look on Lara's face was enough to make Sam's heart feel heavy. "Yes, I want to go…" Lara then answered as she looked down blankly at the laptop on their table.

Sam stood up and pulled Lara into an embrace in an attempt to comfort her. Lara couldn't help but hug Sam back, letting her head rest onto her best friend's shoulder. Sam rested her head against Lara's and closed her eyes. It really had been a long week since they had gotten home and Sam was just ready for it to be over with.

* * *

Lara was surrounded by familiar trees and sounds. Her brows furrowed as she slowly walked down a dirt path, her bow in hand. She knew this place, these sounds, that sky above her. It was an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach as she could hear the distant sounds of the waves hitting the beaches. Why was she here? They had gotten off of Yamatai, didn't they? Lara couldn't stop herself from creeping through the jungle, even though she wanted to.

But the aimless wandering didn't last for too long. She heard the rustling of the brush, the snapping of twigs and the soggy sounds of someone stepping on wet foliage. Whoever it was didn't even try to mask their presence. Lara crouched, tucking herself in the shadows of the bushes and tall trees around her, narrowing her eyes as she knocked an arrow into her bow.

But who stepped out into the small clearing had caught her completely off guard. Alex stood there, but it wasn't how she remembered him. His clothes were burnt, his long sleeved shirt barely hanging on by a thread… And his face and hands were the worse. They were gnarled and looked scarred with recent burns, his glasses were completely missing and his hair was jutting out of his head in every which direction.

"Alex..?" Lara questioned in confusion as she stepped from her cover.

Alex stopped walking as he sluggishly turned to face Lara. "Why did you do it?" He asked her, his tone vacant of emotion, of life.

Lara felt like she could have fallen to her knees, but she stood as straight as she could, though her body was rigid. "Do what…?"

Suddenly a burst of flames surrounded Alex's feet. Lara gasped and took an uncertain step backwards. "You brought us here." Alex said, his tone taking on more emotion with every word he spoke.

Lara's eyes watered and she shook her head watching the flame slowly crawl up his legs. It was odd just how slowly it moved. "I didn't… I didn't mean to!" She protested, the guilt weighing heavy on her shoulders as she couldn't help but stand back and watch the fire move up to his knees.

He gave her such an angry glare. "_You're_ the reason we died." He accused, the anger clear in his voice. Lara felt her heart sink in her chest.

"I'm so sorry…" Was all she could manage as the fire began to consume Alex more quickly. "Alex, I am so sorry!" She cried out as she just couldn't stand anymore, collapsing to her knees as she could feel the tears freely roll down her cheeks.

He didn't say anything more as he was engulfed by the flames. In a matter of seconds Alex's form turned into dark ash and he just blew away with the wind and Lara found herself alone on the dirt path surrounded by the jungles of Yamatai, her loud sobs the only sound to be heard.

* * *

Lara's eyes snapped open as she cried out in her grief as she managed to jolt into an upright position in her bed. She could feel her cheeks were wet from the tears that had escaped her in her sleep, along with the fact that her night shirt clung to her skin from sweating. Alex's words of blame were still fresh in her ears and mind as she drew her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly as she just cried. She couldn't stop herself if she tried and she really didn't want to.

It really was her fault that Alex had died and there was nothing that could convince her otherwise. Having the ghost of her dead friend blame her in her dreams was all the confirmation she needed. What right did she have to go to his funeral in the next few days? If she was allowed a moment of honesty she felt she had no right at all. But she still felt the need to lay him to rest like he deserved. There was no body though… He was in the bottom of the oceans surrounding Yamatai.

Could his soul even rest in peace with where he was left?

"Lara, Sweetie?" Lara heard Sam call out from just outside of her bedroom. She could hear Sam's bare feet pad down the hallway as she moved quickly towards the sounds of Lara's cries of pain and grief. Lara should have realized Sam would hear her and be concerned. While Lara would have normally refused any sort of support in such a situation she was glad Sam was now entering her room.

Sam quickly sat next to Lara, pulling her into a tight hug, whispering how everything was ok, or how it would be ok. Lara didn't really feel like it was ok or that it ever could be, but she gladly accepted the comfort she felt in Sam's embrace. Maybe it would be enough to tide the dreams… And the guilt.

* * *

**Ok folks end of chapter. Sorry for the slight delay, been kinda tired this week and while I really wanted to work on this I just had no focus =x **

**Hopefully, with the weekend coming along, I will manage to pump out another chapter! **

**Also, if anyone's not read it yet, you should pick up a copy of the new Tomb Raider comic. Lara's dream in this chapter was inspired by it :P TID BITS! **

**Anywho, until next time :3**


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